New building to hold precious artefacts

4:50pm Saturday 15th September 2007

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The site for a new centre which will hold a treasure trove of precious artefacts has been approved by a council.

The multimillion pound centre, dubbed The Keep, will be built at Woollards Field, near Falmer, and house items held by Brighton and Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council.

Brighton and Hove City councillors have approved the site after it emerged that some of their current holds were at risk from flooding and infestation.

The financial case for the centre has yet to be made and neither councils have committed any money towards the £14 to £22 million scheme.

It is hoped that up to half the cash could come from a Lottery grant and the new facility would be open by 2011.

Historians in East Sussex have been looking for a new location for the East Sussex Record Office, which is based in the precincts of Lewes Castle, for years.

The building stores five miles of historical records dating back to 1101 and ancient artifacts such as a tooth belonging to William the Conqueror's daughter.

Much of its material cannot be displayed to the public because of fire, safety and atmospheric regulations.

East Sussex County Council accepted new facilities were needed in 1996 and has been searching for a suitable spot since.

Brighton and Hove also hope to move artifacts and precious documents to The Keep after a review of its current storage options.

Head of the city's museums and the Royal Pavilion Janita Bagshawe stressed that, although conditions were not ideal, the picture was the same across the country.

She said: "We work very hard with the storage we have got."

Of the six different sites across the city, only The Booth Museum, Dyke Road, could be improved to meet the required standards but this would rule out other developments at the venue.

The city council also pays £350,000 per year to East Sussex County Council for records and archives storage and management.

Museum collections are housed across all the museum sites, as well as at an off-site store, which costs £52,000.

Wollards Field at Falmer, the six-acre site opposite Stanmer Park, is believed to be the best location for a modern storage unit.

It is close to the A27 and there is enough space to build the hi-tech centre needed.

The single-track road which currently runs past the Wollards Field, limiting development, will be improved as part of a £5 million investment programme accompanying the Falmer stadium development.

Ms Bagshawe told a meeting of the city council's culture committee that East Sussex and Brighton and Hove had met recently and it is felt there was as strong planning case for the field to be used.

But a business plans has to be drawn up, and the report, which was approved by councillors, cautioned: "A key factor will be to keep the overall costs within those currently paid for records archives and collections storage.

"The council must, however, be confident in entering into a formal partnership to proceed with this ambitious project that it offers value for money and that future revenue costs can be met from existing resources."